'Here lies Natashia Curtin. She lived like a headless chicken'. I reckon that will be my tombstone. It seems to be the theme that runs through my life! To explain, no, there is too much, I will sum up: (Princess Bride movie quote.)   The long delayed (%^&*&%$$) home reno is finally kicking off this month. We are flat chat packing up and moving out. Not organisedly, but haphazardly... The children. Sports, Music, Mum's taxi service, food delivery and homework overseer. March- June on crazy huge job for a graphics client, which ate up all my spare time. At one...

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Just when you didn't think I could get busier, I moved into an office space! Yep, that's right. I'm no longer a 'Home CEO' or whatever that patronising saying is- I've now joined the hoards of women rushing to drop the kiddies off at school and get to the office in time. However, I'm still a CEO. (I must remember to give myself a raise. I think I've got the lowest CEO salary in the history of the world.) As our house plans get closer and closer to renovation reality, I grabbed at the chance to share an office space...

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It's been a slightly long (cough cough) time since I updated my website news- I tend to add more to my Smee Designs Facebook site now. It's just because Facebook is easier to update than the program that my website uses. There's a designer's moral in that sentence! 2016 promises to be stupid busy. We are in the last stages of planning our home extention/renovation, and hope to get the building underway in Feb/March. Apparently you can't have two boys sharing a room unless you are happy to adjudicate WW3 every 5 minutes. It's taken us over a year of...

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Well, August didn't go as planned. But hey, that's life. Still working, still moving on, and still stitching. Feels like I've done absolutely nothing, but that's often how it feels- then you look up and see the finish line ahead. I also remembered I'd promised Homespun a project in November. Not a good thing to forget!!!! So, I'll keep working, keep moving on, keep stitching... just a little bit faster.

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I am now a mother of a 10 year old. I am now old. It was supposed to be the month of stitching catch up, but I have to admit to being a bit slack. I've done two blocks of the How Bazaar, and I'm just about to start the last one, but winter has slowed me down a bit. It's hard to stitch in the mornings when your E.T. fingers are frozen solid and aching. Every mid year school holidays I swear to myself that we'll go somewhere hotter for holidays to get away from the misery that is...

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It is cold in Bendigo. It is very cold in June in Bendigo. It is very, very, cold in June, in Bendigo in a concrete floored exhibition space with no insulation. Did I mention I got cold? Last weekend we were off to the Bendigo Craft Alive show, for 3 days of fun and frivolity (Liar pants- it's actually really hard work, but no-one wants to admit that in case you all get offended. I figure you're understanding enough to handle the truth!) Craft Alive is run by a really lovely team, and targets the regional areas big shows don't...

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Bet you thought I'd forgotten to update my site lately... Because I have. Not my fault; Duncan the grumpy dragon keeps pestering me with delusions of quilting grandeur. Silly thing thinks it's time for designing MORE stitcheries, instead of letting me catch up. So I've finally given up hinting, and kicked him out on a world trip to 'research' the next design. That should keep him busy for a few months while I finish off some more projects, and get ready for my grand web re-design. This month's Homespun features one of our quilts. Margaret did a lovely job of...

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Back from Easter holidays! I'm happy to report that my hissy fit about tent camping at Easter time in Victoria yielded a great result of 'camping' in holiday cabins this year. This meant lots less work for me; the kids stayed drier, whined less and I even got to sit back and relax. Not having to pack up tents in the teeming rain on the last day was a winner also! We stayed at Nelson, on the border of Victoria and South Australia, on the mighty Glenelg river. We hired kayaks for half a day, and had a great couple...

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2015: Duncan jumped up and bit my butt with a vengence. Time to get to work he says!!!! Not that I'm ever 'not busy' really. I just like to further test my limits of eyeball endurance and stitching grip pre-arthritic pain. The 'holidays' are now over, and both my young meerkats are back at school. Oldest in 4th grade, and youngest in 1st grade. They got spoilt rotten by Aunties, Granparents and parents; with many a visit to the movies, some beach activities and day trips around and about Melbourne. Duncan spent 'holidays' consorting with Pixies (yes, apparently they exist,...

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Duncan refuses to believe it's December today. He thinks for sure there's another 3 months to go before he gets a stocking full of gold and precious gems. But as our Christmas gift to you, look under 'Stuff' and 'Freebies' to download a quick little stitchery for the holiday season! Margaret has done a fantastic job quilting up a project for Homespun, and it's off in the mail this week. I'm charging ahead with the upcoming Block of the Month, but I'm nervous about getting enough ahead to keep up next year... on my own project!!! Duncan couldn't care less...

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